Software application packages provide respective solutions to improve productivity of users. The solutions of each software package are typically represented by and user enabled through a fixed series of menu options. Each of these menu options is presented in terms specific to the software package and represents a specific feature of the software. In order to be productive with the software, the users have to learn the features of the software and then decide whether the software feature will provide him/her the functionality required for the business activity at hand. Not only do the users require training of the software interface, but also of its language (terminology) and features.
In the business or work setting, for new employees, an organization will have to train the employees, not only on the organization""s business activities and in the language/terminology of the specific business, but the employees will also have to be trained in the software used by the organization in the language of the software application package.
Examples of such software application packages are Lotus(copyright) SmartSuite(copyright), Microsoft(copyright) Office, and Corel(copyright) WordPerfect(copyright) Suite. Each package provides components to do word processing, spreadsheet calculation, database processing and business graphics. Each package comes with its own, unique user interface, language/terminology and feature set that must be learned before becoming productive with the package.
Applicants have discovered that to date, there is no mechanism for translating between (i) the language/terminology and feature set of software applications and (ii) the business activities or tasks at hand for an employee/user.
Further, a problem arises with the continued changes in the software application solutions provided. As today""s software application packages introduce even more new features and new language/terminology they require increased training of users. Additionally, knowing the language and feature set of one software application package for a specific task (e.g., word processing) does not necessarily mean one will be productive on a different software application package. The need for added training impacts the productivity of the users of the software.
Accordingly, the need exists for a more flexible software framework and in particular, a software package-to-business activity translator which enables needs of different business organizations to be satisfied by application software and shortens the time required for users to reach their peak productivity with the software applications packages. A software framework which presents the software capabilities in terms of focused business activities and business language (terminology) specific to the business organization reduces the need for training and increases user""s productivity (including minimizing time in reaching peak productivity).
The present invention provides such a flexible software framework for use in presenting a workspace for performing a user""s business activities without having to be trained on the specific features and language of the currently available software application packages. With this flexible structure, the user only needs to use the business language that its specific work force is accustomed to.
The invention framework presents a customized, flexible, workspace for users to interact with to perform business tasks. Each custom workspace is defined for a specific user or user type. The workspace consists of customizable areas, including: a title bar for displaying the name of the display, a menu bar for selecting commands (in business words/phrases familiar to the user) offered by the workspace, a tool bar for use as an alternate interface for selecting commands (in graphical representations) offered by the workspace, a business category tab bar for selecting among predefined business categories, a Tree View to display predefined business activities, a status bar receiving and providing user feedback about the operational status of the workspace, and an Information View to interact with the underlying software application package configured to perform the desired business activity.
The workspace provides a customizable two-dimensional presentation of application software for a business organization. These dimensions allow the user to group business activities together that make sense for a specific business organization. Furthermore, the language or wording used to present these business activities is in the native language/terminology of the specific business organization.
The definition of the first dimension allows the user to group business activities together (e.g., the user may choose to represent a business area or department) into business categories and name the business category.
The second dimension defines a hierarchy of business activities associated with each of the business categories defined by the first dimension. A business category is displayed as the root of all associated business activities defined.
For each user or group of users, the workspace may be defined differently to suit a specific business organization. The workspace may be customized and used to guide a specific group of users through their specific business process flows, giving them an electronic desktop with the appropriate tasks for the subject business or industry. Users of the workspace are assigned an access control privilege when the users are defined. For those users with proper access control, the content and naming of items in each area of the workspace is totally customizable.
The invention and apparatus is operating system and business organization independent. As an example, in the chemical polymer industry, the invention is delivered on a Microsoft Windows(copyright) 95 and Windows NT(copyright) platform. The invention is used in manufacturing plants to organize business activities for each specific group of users. The business categories group activities, such as: Planning and Scheduling, Production Execution, Production Accounting, Advanced Process Control and Engineering.
Within each business category, business activities are organized in a manner suitable for the business category. For example, in the Planning and Scheduling business category, business activities are grouped in a hierarchical manner, with the first sub groupings being Long Term Planning, Mid Term Planning and Scheduling.
Under each first level sub grouping, business activities are further grouped into groupings logical to the specific business organization. Elements at the lowest level of the business activity hierarchy are associated with predefined software applications, which are ultimately launched to deliver the functionality that will satisfy the user tasks defined by that business activity.
The present invention provides computer means for automatic selection and launching of one or more applications programs (i.e., business tasks) chosen from a plurality of software application packages (i.e., a so-called software xe2x80x9csuitexe2x80x9d) depending on the user. A business task is an executable program or batch file that is able to be launched from the workspace using specific order, arguments and logon information. More specifically, the present invention recognizes and defines different types of users (i.e., user types) of the plurality of application programs. The present invention associates or corresponds each user type with an ordered subset (or sequence) of the plurality of software application package programs. The ordered subset of programs follows the typical or normal use of the respective programs for accomplishing a preestablished set of business tasks for the respective user type.
Further, the present invention provides indications of user type and respective set of business tasks, in business or industry standard terms instead of software programmer-like terminology or software applications terminology. The desired terms, user types and respective set of business tasks are user definable when installing the present invention in a desired computer system. This enhances ease of ultimate use of the plurality of application programs.
For example, in the chemical (polymer) processing industry, there are a number of application programs utilized for the design, monitoring, maintenance, simulation, etc. of a process manufacturing system. One such plurality (or suite) of application programs in the process engineering/manufacturing industry are the software application package programs manufactured by Aspen Technology, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. Those software programs include xe2x80x9cModel Managerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cAspen Plusxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cSpeed Upxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cPolymers Plusxe2x80x9d (all trademarks of Aspen Technology, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.). See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,008,810; 5,666,297; 5,687,090 and 6,093,211 for technical descriptions of these programs.
A design engineer of a polymer process manufacturing plant may want to use a certain subset of these programs for determining bottlenecks and proposing design solutions. On the other hand, a manager of the plant may use a different subset of these programs for projecting production, waste and inventory measurements, and so forth with other users of the programs in the subject manufacturing plant. Each of the needs of the different basic groups of similar users define a respective user type. That is, to the extent that some users""needs of the programs overlaps that of other users, a generic user type is defined.
Along with defining the user needs covered by a given user type, the ordered subset or sequence of certain ones of the Aspen Technology, Inc. application programs is determined for that user type. In particular, a stepwise pattern of use from one program module to another program module (in the same or different software application package program) is determined and associated with the user type. In this example, the design engineer user type is associated with a sequence of pertinent, respective modules from the programs xe2x80x9cModel Managerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cAspen Plusxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cBatch Plusxe2x80x9d, for example; and the manager user type is associated with a sequence of pertinent respective modules from xe2x80x9cAspen Plusxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cPolymers Plusxe2x80x9d, for example.
Lastly, in the operating system of the computer network employed by the users of the subject manufacturing plant, the present invention provides a screen view with menu selections worded xe2x80x9cManager Projectionsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cDesign/Maintenance/Monitoringxe2x80x9d, for example. This is instead of the wording used by the different programs and their respective interfaces. Further, each of these menu selections of the present invention provide a respective sub-menu listing the corresponding subset of program applications/program modules but in terms of business tasks related to that menu selection. Following the current example, the xe2x80x9cManager Projectionsxe2x80x9d menu selection provides a sub-menu listing the business tasks of reviewing source streams, reviewing output of streams, charting the same, etc. Each of these listed business tasks corresponds to one or more modules of the Aspen Plus and Polymers Plus programs in the respective subset of application programs. Similarly, the menu selection xe2x80x9cDesign/Maintenance/Monitoringxe2x80x9d provides a sub-menu listing the business tasks of, for example, xe2x80x9cdetermining bottlenecksxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9credesigning process plantxe2x80x9d, . . . , etc. Each of these sub-menu choices corresponds to one or a combination of program modules of the ordered subset of application programs (i.e., Model Manager, Aspen Plus and Batch Plus in this example) for the design engineer user type.
In response to user selection of any of the foregoing sub-menu choices/listed business tasks, the present invention software provides launching/execution of the one or combination of application program modules corresponding to and effectively supporting the sub-menu selection. Thus, the initial menu selections through the sub-menu selections provide pertinent business or industry worded choices (and not menu choices worded with the application programs naming convention), such that the menu/sub-menu selections are easily understood by the different end users.
An embodiment of the invention is a computer apparatus providing a business solutions framework comprising a configuration module for defining a workspace, including users, user types, business categories, business activities and business tasks. The invention apparatus also includes a presentation module for viewing the defined workspace including associating the business activities with the business tasks using business-oriented language, and an execution module responsive to the presentation module for launching the business tasks.